What can this plug-in do?
Softube Tape adds tape saturation and applies a small amount of dynamic control to smooth the sound.
The result can reduce the sense that individual instruments are sticking out from one another. Rather than making a track obviously distorted, the plug-in helps elements sit together more naturally.
Extended menu
Click the area on the far right labeled RC-1 Remote Control to reveal a hidden extended menu.
The extended section provides more detailed control over the following parameters:
- Overall Dry/Wet effect balance.
- Speed Stability for introducing tape-speed instability.
- High Freq Trim for tone adjustment.
- CrossTalk.
- Input and output level.
- Noise on/off.
- Tape Stop.
Raising the input level adjusts the amount of drive in a way that can resemble an 1176-style compressor being pushed harder.
One of the easiest features to understand is Tape Stop. It recreates the sound of forcing a tape machine to stop, causing the audio to slow down and disappear.
Studio One Mix FX operation: CrossTalk
When using Studio One, Softube Tape can run as a Mix FX processor on the master bus through Tape Multi Track.vst.
Placing Softube Tape on the master bus allows CrossTalk to affect all tracks.
As the Mix FX CrossTalk amount rises, separate tracks begin to feel connected. The effect is a little like hearing a neighbor’s voice through an open window: sound from one track bleeds subtly into another.
Because audio from muted tracks can also become audible, it is safer to mute or remove the underlying audio data itself when you intentionally need a part to remain silent.
Together with Softube Tape Echoes, Softube Tape is a high-quality tape-emulation plug-in.
Where to buy Softube Tape
Softube Tape has been available from the following retailers:
- International retailer: Plugin Boutique
- Japanese retailers: Sonicwire and Dirigent
Historical sale information
The following figures are historical information from the original article. They are not current sale prices or active coupon details.
- October 2024: Plugin Boutique exclusive, 70% off. Coupon code:
TAPE29. Deadline: October 31, 2024, 23:59 GMT. - June 1-30, 2024: Softube Summer Sale. The price was listed as 17,129 yen reduced to 7,786 yen; exchange-rate changes could affect the amount.
Final thoughts
Softube Tape is a relatively clean-sounding tape-machine plug-in. It is not the best choice when you want ragged, heavily degraded tape character immediately.
Instead, it shines when a mix needs a measured amount of saturation, small dynamic smoothing, and a sense that separate instruments belong in the same record. The three tape types, speed choices, extended tone controls, CrossTalk, and Tape Stop provide plenty of depth once you move beyond the simple front-panel controls.